


Into A World Of Illusions

by Catherine Rain (raincrystal)



Category: Suikoden I
Genre: Gen, Magic, Magical Artifacts, Scheming, True Runes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-01-01
Updated: 2007-01-01
Packaged: 2017-10-15 22:18:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/165409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raincrystal/pseuds/Catherine%20Rain
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What a tangled web we wreak, when arcane secret power we seek.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Into A World Of Illusions

The trip was long, but Windy always found it worth going. Down to a grotto by the river lowlands she rode, half-looking, half-feeling her way across the rocky shorebed. She could sense that she was getting close long before she could see the pillars of the Sindar ruins, wound with vines and moss eating its way through the cracks, obscuring their shape so that they were hardly visible between the ferns and willows. But there it was, and there he was. Ah yes, her co-conspirator.

"Showoff," he remarked as she dismounted, giving her steed a handful of long grass from her riding pouch. "I'm surprised you didn't fly here."

He was only trying to perturb her, but he'd hardly chosen a cutting insult, given that he was one of the biggest showoffs she'd ever met. At least he had reason to be. "Only the black ones fly," she said, absently patting the fluff on the back of its neck. She tried not to look at the enormous door to the ruins, sealed with a sigil perfectly formed and untouched by age. She would not give him the satisfaction of making her acute awareness of it noticeable.

"Come inside," he said, "have something to drink." He turned to face the door, and the dim light filtering down from the canopy of trees brightened somewhat-- faintly, subtly. Physically? It was hard to tell. Turned away from her as he was, so that she could only see his one blue eye, he looked almost human. But she could never mistake that look in his eye for anything other than what he was.

The space around them thickened with a silent enchantment; though he unwove his spell mutely, stealthily, so that there were no arcane words to overhear, she nonetheless sensed his work. As muffled as it was, it still scraped heavily against the surface of reality with his every invisible, intangible move. In the background the door faded away, as he looked directly into the hallway of the ruins with a glazed expression, seeing far more than the scene ahead of him. Windy shuddered at the ripples of pure certainty that flooded through her, an absoluteness more refined and clear and straightforward than that from any other source; she stood her ground weakly, thinking, as she did, how small and frail she really was-- not fearfully, but with delight, for the physical space around her was frail as well compared to this, and this she could handle better than most. For a moment she feared she might have lost her balance in the riptide of magic, and groped for herself-- but she was right there all along, wholly centered in a place yet not her own. She was only a bystander to this spell, and yet she felt its effects upon her so. Such was the power of a True Rune working idly, flooding the shore with awareness.

As the last of the seal unravelled, the faint presence of what lay within prickled the hair on the back of her neck. So much in one place. Deeper, encased, turned inward and away from her, but present; she could feel its rhythmic pull, measured yet ever-changing. She guarded her body language, kept her expression indifferent, as if by so doing she could fool anyone present into believing her apparent apathy. No, no one present could be fooled, she knew, not by any power she possessed. Not the presence pulling on her, not the Rune attached to her own soul, not the Eight-fold Rune of Illusion, nor Yuber. But they would know she had the restraint to try; so she did not step inside, not until he did.

He brought her into the entrance room, the first of many, lined with many doors; but she could pick her way through this maze by the sheer echoes of that which lay beyond. While he crossed the room to flip a switch, she smiled, and stepped easily through the correct door without bothering to open it. She waited for him to join her as the door rumbled open. His dance of confusion, of losing their way; her dance of stepping precisely where she wanted to go; she welcomed the unusual challenge. He could not overcome that sound which she knew so well how to hear, and her senses could not overcome the poor confused light shining fog into her mind, and yet she could call that sound towards herself and he could never stop her singleminded pulling. No matter what Yuber was, no matter what he could do, he could not fake this; the Runes knew each other, felt each other; she would _know_ , and could not lose her way. And by pulling she descended, and he with her, through the maze of closed stone.

Here where no one could feel their presence, in the sanctuary deep within, she wondered whether she was reaching past her bounds. Of course not; she had been here before, just so. But the thought remained that there was so much in this pair of rooms, there was hardly any room left for her. Windy had always thought she'd known so much, for half of infinity is still infinity, and perfection cannot be halved. Yet infinity can flood faster again than itself, and here within this anteroom it seemed as though the lifting of the final door, unsealing the wall between the bearer's Rune beside her and an unbound True Rune and the one bound to her own soul, that deep fulfilling joy as they reached for each other and its echoes multiplying through a chamber that already had no empty space left for them, all of that resounding through her own Rune straight to herself, would hardly leave room for a thought of her own, so small she would be in all that infinity rushing over them. And yet she had been here before with him; and they had opened that door before; and she suppressed the shiver of pleasure that threatened to start at the memory. They had opened it safely, and they would open it again. And one day they would open it never to close it off from her again.

She could open the door herself, just as she could have opened the outside seal, but it served a good purpose, dampening the Rune's effect, keeping it from radiating its sheer presence to anyone nearby with a speck of sensitivity. It kept the Rune secret from others, but moreover, it kept her thoughts from being overwhelmed by the tidal wave of ideas and emotion and sheer knowledge that comprised communication between the Runes. It would be lovely to be such a conduit again, to open the door and open herself and let the intense flow of magic between the Runes take her over, to let it rush through her mind and body and soul as far as it could widen the borders of the channel that was her very self, but it would also be unproductive. Of course she wanted to see it again; even were it not one-twenty-seventh of the universe's power, hers to hold and keep, what conscious mind would not want to return to that light? But she had not come here merely to indulge herself in visiting a Rune she was not yet ready to bear, and she had to keep practical matters in mind. Yuber had his own ideas of what to do with her, and she must not let herself lose sight of that no matter _what_ was in the room with her.

"I don't like this business of coming to see you in person," she said.

"I merely insist on neutral ground."

"These ruins are yours. You've deconstructed their secrets and turned them to work for you. This is hardly neutral ground," she grumbled.

"What place is?" He flashed her a smile, which in his countenance had all the warmth of baring teeth.

She tracked him with narrowed eyes as he walked to the opposite wall and placed his palm on what appeared to be bare stone, causing a segment of the stoneworked wall to rotate inward, and disappeared into the darkness. How could he think with the endless perfect pulsing beyond them? He must feel it too-- but he knew how to wield clarity, and that was his unique advantage. He would lead her astray if it suited him. But she knew that: and knowing not to trust him was the best she could do. He wanted the power for himself; she intended to keep that in mind. If she held that one thing in memory, she could not lose sight of it.

He returned with a tray of wineglasses and a corked bottle, setting them on a flat stone ledge that had once been part of a pillar. "I have an idea that shouldn't put you out at all," he said. "Fewer opportunities for bloodshed, at least at first, but it will put at least one more True Rune under your thumb for now."

"Hm," was her noncommittal reply. Did he mean as with the last True Rune he had "brought her"? The Rune behind that door was hardly in her control, not yet.

He poured himself a glass of wine, then offered one to her. "Chateau Lafite, 1959."

"No, thank you," she said. Cheap Kaku booze, more likely-- or worse, something more seriously mind-altering; it wouldn't bother _him_. "You can do Kanakan wine well enough, but you don't know French wine like that."

"You, my lady, are unfair."

"It is my destiny."

He took a sip, as placid as she'd ever seen him be. "Is your sister still making her predictions?"

Windy repressed a sigh of deep frustration. "She won't help me, and she equally won't move to stop me," she muttered, unable to keep the edge completely out of her voice. What did Leknaat know that she didn't know? Why did she sit there in her little tower in infuriating stillness while lecturing Windy to keep her hands off everything that mattered? What did she know of power or politics or anything? "She's making this twice as hard as it needs to be. What does she know that she isn't telling me?"

"With the True Rune of Time," said Yuber, almost soothingly, "you'll know much more. Her predictions will sound like lottery-ticket guesses compared to what you'll be able to see."

Windy glanced at the sealed door for as long as she dared. "If I can ever manage to bear it."

"When you do," corrected Yuber. "Your sister is not an insurmountable obstacle. Did you try approaching the child yourself? Even if we can't get the other half of your Rune, perhaps he'll come along whether she wills it or no."

"That'll never happen."

"Unfortunate," said Yuber. "I had hoped that your own sister would do you such a small favour, so little trouble for her, so important to you, but perhaps we will need the Soul Eater after all."

"We had best be done quickly with that," she said, "given what happened last time."

"Indeed. With the control my plan will give you, it won't be long."

"What is this clever plan of yours?" _Nobody tells me anything,_ she grumbled in her mind-- sharply enough that the Gate Rune heard her, and flared up in a whisper of wordless knowledge: _Nobody wants to._ She ignored the remark.

"I'll tell you soon," he said, "but first you should ease your mind. I can _feel_ you wanting that Rune. Go in and see it; then we'll talk when you're paying more attention."

She discarded her thinly veiled eagerness as she walked to the door and placed her fingertips lightly upon it, caressing. "You don't want to come in with us, do you?"

Yuber made a face of disgust. "Of course not. What would I, a chaos demon, want with a True Rune? You can't imagine how they sting. They're so careful, so creative. Besides, you don't trust me and you don't want me there. Go, do your thing."

Windy nodded absently, hardly listening to anything beyond _not_ ; while Yuber's own Rune would have amplified the resonance within the chamber, he was right; she wanted to be alone with the Rune that would be hers. At any rate she would be flowing as much magic as she could hold without burning the portals of her mind and soul, ecstatic and pained, searing through her wide-open self with the white fire of lights in her veins. She closed her eyes. Her Rune was warning her, reminding her. But she knew. She drew her fingers lightly down the door, and she stepped inside.

Within the chamber there floated a single, still orb, shimmers of white and rainbow streaming across it, and within that a perfect pale amber crystal. She took a deep, shuddering breath. Its light was mostly not physical; she could close her eyes, but she could not close her senses, pulled wide open by years of practicing magic, of pulling through as much of that light as she could, straining for more, reaching. The Time Rune was less chaotic than most, and all of them were comprised of the ordered structure of the world, yet it felt confusing nonetheless because within this single crystal, the sepia glow of present and past and future were all together as though the sequence of time had been threaded back and forth through itself until it was knotted up in a pattern she could not follow, dizzy as it made her. All of this inside one crystal. Such a small, small crystal it was, to hold such a lot.

She extended a hand, carefully, and placed it on the orb; the Rune did not shy away, but neither did it flow towards her and shine down upon her; it did not embrace her, did not wrap her up completely and hold her close, as only one Rune had done in all her life. It whispered of love and affection, for her as for anyone, yes, forever and always; but inside the whisper was a current of wistfulness: _you are not mine; you belong to another; I cannot keep you. Do not try for me; stand as you are; you are not mine._

Eyes closed, drowning in the happiness and the outreaching affirmation of this unfathomable entity that yet whispered _be near to me, now while you can, for I love you even if I cannot keep you; hold me close and be with me_ , a countersong to its whisper of _you cannot belong to me_ , she ran her fingertips gently over its shining case, the orb with no texture, no temperature, no hardness nor softness, only the property of existence alone. She could reach no further than that silent encasement, not with her mind or her hand. But the case only prevented their bonding; it could not dampen the radiance that shone forth from this tiny, vast, infinite crystal. She leaned her head upon the orb and shut her eyes against the welling of tears.

It was fully thirty-six minutes and four seconds before she marshaled herself to pull away. She wanted to hold it-- wanted wanted _wanted_ to cling forever, to touch it deeply and never let go; her own Rune cried out a dual call of _please, let's stay with it_ and _we mustn't keep it_. The Runes contradicted themselves all the time; or perhaps she could not read what it was that it wanted to do. But she would be back, she told them both silently, though they read her intentions whether she would or no; and she was going out to make it so that she could keep them both forever, yes, she would do it no matter what they thought; there was a way, and she was going to do it very soon.

When she stepped back into the outer chamber, suffused even now with the radiance that lingered still upon her like an intangible warmth, she found it bland and hard to adjust to, as if devoid utterly of magic-- despite the many spells at work here, the muted presence of the Time Rune behind her and Yuber's Rune before her. She felt like the brightest dazzle in this numb corridor; still the taste of infinite magic lingered. Her own Rune was warm, and vibrantly alive. She resisted the urge to touch her forehead.

"If you are ready to focus on business now," said Yuber dryly, "I can tell you my plan."

"I'm all ears," she said. She did not add that she would do anything to bear the Rune of Time as well as her Gate Rune. She _wanted_ to say it; she wanted in fact to run back into the chamber and embrace the Rune once more; but that would have to wait; she wanted to get started now.

"All right," he continued. "This would be so much easier if you had more political power than you do as a noble of moderate rank. I think we can get you higher-- in fact, you could be close to the Emperor himself. If you gained his trust and cooperation, there is nothing you could not do."

"Surely that's an exaggeration."

"Not much of one. You might have trouble, say, bringing Jowstone to its knees, but that's not your goal. There are so many True Runes in Scarlet Moon at present that political control of the Empire is all you need. And you have such a unique opportunity right now." He studied her appraisingly. "Barbarossa is lonely. If someone who resembled Claudia approached him, friendly and accommodating--"

"I don't resemble Empress Claudia in the least," she interrupted, "if that's where you're going with this."

"But you could, easily in fact. Lighten your hair, makeup to help your eyes look larger... You're really not that far off."

"I don't need makeup," she snapped. "I'll be fine myself."

Yuber nodded. "Whichever way you want it. Just get close to him. And then you'll have to appease the generals-- but I've got an idea for that too. There's a Runemaster I've found who has a rather unique set of tools for our purposes. If you were to gift them, all innocence, with Runes that encouraged them to do your bidding, you'd be fine."

Windy sighed. She didn't relish the thought of cozying up to Emperor Barbarossa on false pretense. For one thing, it would be dangerous, even for her. But for another, she didn't find the thought at all appealing. Still... The warm glow of the Time Rune still lingered in her core, its creator shining behind her, behind that door, faintly calling its endless rhythmic song. It could not attach to her now, but it loved her; it would give her unimaginable power, infinite and glittering and magical and surpassing that of any other mage, for who else could possess two True Runes? It meant to give her all it had, and it would do so if it could have her; and she wanted it too. She would do anything. Anything.

"All right," she said. "I'll do it. Just long enough to get the cooperation of a few other Runes, and then I'm out of there."

"We only need five in total," he reminded her. "Any five will do. Then you just have to set it in motion, and the Runes will take care of the rest. The ceremonial site is very specialized, so it can't go wrong. It'll be very soon."

"What's in this for you?" she wondered, reminding herself again that he was not to be trusted. "Give me so much power, and what do you benefit? Do you see the blood of a hundred nations on my hands? Tell me."

He gave her that chilling smile of his again. "Patience. Why should I tell you?"

She knew he was just delighting in pulling her strings. "Never mind, then. I don't need to know, and I really don't care what you do. Let's just get on with it."

"Indeed," he said. "I am terribly tired of being in the room with _that thing_."

Reflexively she wanted to object to his calling the Time Rune "that thing", beautiful and perfect and full of infinite magical strength as it was. But that was a silly urge, she thought; why should she care? And moreover, why should she let him think that she cared? Better not to tell him of the irrational impulses that could sway her decisions. "All right, then. Till next time."

"I'll send for you if need be."

"And I'll see you if need be," she added-- reminding him that he could not stop her. She reached without physical hands, reached across the fibers of existence itself. She pulled her home towards her, pulled until she was there.

Her Gate Rune felt like it was shining with the light of being used. She touched it at last, warm and giddy with its power. Soon she would have so much more.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a challenge that I don't remember the details of; according to my notes, the theme was "illusion".


End file.
